Understanding your year.
WHY IT MATTERS
Most businesses are seasonal, and many owners underestimate how much.
HOW TO ESTABLISH IT
Plot monthly figures across two or three years.
The repeating pattern is the seasonality.
WHAT TO CALCULATE
Each month's typical share of the annual total.
WHAT THAT ENABLES
Judging whether a month is genuinely poor Planning stock, staffing and cash Setting monthly targets that reflect reality
THE TARGET POINT
An equal monthly target in a seasonal business guarantees failure in some months and complacency in others.
WHAT TO ADJUST FOR
Holidays falling differently Months of different lengths One-off events in the history
WHAT TO PLAN AROUND
The quiet period: cash, maintenance, development
The busy period: capacity, stock, staffing
WHAT TO DO IN QUIET PERIODS
Work on the business rather than reducing effort.
WHAT TO RECORD
The pattern, and revisit it annually.
